Tag Archives : Renewable Technology

Homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra has slashed the price of its electric small car ‘e2o’ by Rs 92,000 following the launch of a central government scheme offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles.

The e2o, manufactured by the company’s arm, Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles will see a reduction in price by 16 per cent from its earlier price of Rs 5.71 lakh (on road Delhi) along with a fixed energy fee of Rs 2,999 per month for five years or 50,000km.

The car will now be available at Rs 4.79 lakh (on road Delhi), while the fixed energy fee remains the same.

“We have reduced the prices of e2o by 16 per cent across the markets where it is being sold currently. The reduction makes the car more affordable and attractive to own,” Mahindra & Mahindra president & chief executive (automotive) Pravin Shah

The price cut is a direct result of the government’s recent announcement of the FAME (faster adoption and manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles) scheme, he added.

Under the FAME scheme, the government offers incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles of up to Rs 29,000 for bikes and Rs 1.38 lakh for cars.

FAME is a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan. The scheme envisages Rs 795 crore support in the first two fiscals starting with the current year.

India has finally decided to focus on tapping clean and renewable geothermal energy. Geothermal energy is available in abundance in the country but remains largely untapped but this new move will surely bring lots of opportunities.

Union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) recently drafted a national policy, which seeks to make India a global leader in the sector, generating 1000 MW in phase one, ending 2022. The draft would be presented at the first global investors’ meet on renewable energy, to be held in New Delhi from February 15-17. Leading foreign firms in the geothermal sector are expected to attend this meet.

As quoted by DNA, Girish Kumar, Scientist and head of the geothermal division, MNRE says, “”The power generated could be used to electrify rural parts of the country”.

Chhattisgarh government has already decided to establish the first geothermal power plant in the country at Tattapani in Balrampur district, along with NTPC. This is the most promising geothermal resource in central India. If the pilot project is successful, the state may plan generation of 10,000MW in a decade. The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have assessed the potential of generating 10,600 Mwth from 340 hot springs spread across seven geothermal provinces in 11 states.

According to Girish Kumar, scientist and head of the Geothermal Division, MNRE, the power generated could be used to electrify rural parts of the country, especially for the cold-storages. “Though the technology to generate power from geothermal energy is available, it is very site-specific; so major thrust of the proposed policy at present is on exploration, research and development of efficient pumps.”

Though India has been one of the earliest countries to begin geothermal projects way back in the 1970s, but at present there are no operational geothermal plants in India. There is also no installed geothermal electricity generating capacity as of now mainly chief because the availability of plentiful coal at cheap costs.

The scheme is open to public and private sector to carry out projects in India. For geothermal power exploration, the entrepreneur is supposed to approach the state government for site allocation. For industrial projects it would 30% of the capital cost and 30-50% for the research, design and development work and up to Rs 50,000 for public good like space heating, greenhouse cultivation, cooking etc, using direct geo-exchange pumps.

The power and automation technology group ABB will partner with Pact Myanmar to bring electricity in the form of solar power to approximately 3,500 individuals from villages in rural areas of Mandalay, Central Myanmar. With an estimated population of 51 million, Myanmar is a newly emerging country that has a per capita GDP of only around US$1,105, one of the lowest in East Asia and the Pacific. At present, over 75 percent of inhabitants have no access to electricity of any form and rural communities account for two thirds of the total population. The project was announced as the first round-the-world solar flight, Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), made its landing in Mandalay, Myanmar. ABB is the technology partner of this pioneering airplane, which can fly both day and night powered only by solar energy. The project involves establishing solar battery charging stations to be run by women’s groups in remote villages in the Tada Oo township. Power from the stations will be sold back to communities, thus bringing economic self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship to the townships. Financial support will also be provided for villages to purchase photovoltaic equipment at the community level. Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: http://www.asianscientist.com/2015/03/tech/abb-pact-bring-solar-power-rural-myanmar/?__scoop_post=2d578200-ef96-11e4-c1f3-001018304b75&__scoop_topic=4200436#__scoop_post=2d578200-ef96-11e4-c1f3-001018304b75&__scoop_topic=4200436

“Building up the energy infrastructure is essential to Myanmar’s future economic and social progress, and off-grid electrification is one way to accelerate access to electricity,” said Mr. Johan de Villiers, Managing Director of Singapore and South-East Asia, ABB.
Mr. Richard Harrison, Country Director of Pact Myanmar explained, “Pact is committed to partnering with communities and institutions to address the critical need for electricity in rural areas in Myanmar. Our project will help reduce routine community expenditures on more expensive traditional energy sources by up to 20 percent.”
“Once communities have access to reliable light and energy sources throughout the day and evening hours, they are more able to increase their standard of living, and will be able to allocate more time and resources to education, income generation, health and community development activities,” he said. Daw Kyi of Kyaung Kone Village is excited about what this change means for their children. “Students will be able to study at night. This project promises a brighter future for our children,” she said.

For most villagers in these communities this will be the first time they will have reliable access to electricity. Through renewable energy, they will now be able to power lighting and small electrical applicances. This is the latest project in ABB’s Access to Electricity rural electrification program